


Don't Touch Her

by JustYourAverageFangirl (KaoruSaitoh)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2018-09-06 15:47:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8759197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaoruSaitoh/pseuds/JustYourAverageFangirl
Summary: Natsu is a reckless pyro with half a brain, the whole guild can agree on that. But one thing you never do is touch his girl.





	1. Normal Life

Natsu and Happy walked down the road, the tall spire of the guild hall looming ahead. "So when are you gonna ask her, Natsu?" The Dragonslayer looked up at his friend. "What am I asking who?" Happy swooped down, putting his paws on Natsu's shoulder and folding his wings. "Asher! I know how you feel about her, pretty much the whole guild does. So why don't you ask her out?" When his friend went silent, Happy wondered if he'd hit on a touchy subject. It was obvious how much Natsu cared for the red-headed wizard, but no one could understand why he didn't say anything. His next sentence was quiet, and the blue cat almost missed it. "She deserves someone better.." This shocked the cat; better?! "That's so unlike you, Natsu! You're one of the best wizards to ever live!" He turned away. "Yeah, and my brother is the most dangerous wizards to ever live.. I can't drag her into all that. Not after what's happened with her family. She doesn't deserve it." Natsu set his jaw, a signal to Happy that he was done talking about the subject. With a sigh, he unfolded his wings and resumed flying. It wasn't like Happy didn't appreciate what he got; Natsu never opened up to anyone, so him talking about Asher like that was rare. The blue cat knew how happy Asher made Natsu, but being the stubborn son of a dragon he was, Happy couldn't say anything without Natsu shutting him down. As they walked through the door, a warm welcome greeted them and Natsu smiled. His family was the best he could ask for. He saw Asher sitting at the bar and walked over to her, taking the seat next to her. "Hey; do anything interesting since the last time I saw you?" She turned to him, her blue eyes glimmering in the light. "Yeah, I did a pretty small job and got two thousand jewel!" He stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "No way! Was it monster hunting?" She shook her head, pulling out seven hundred and putting it in his hand. "Tracking thieves and taking back what they stole. I know you and Happy are low on funds so I hope this helps." Natsu swallowed hard, his hand shaking. Normally, he rejected help, but he didn't want to upset her or make her think he didn't want her around. "T-thanks, Asher.. are you sure you can?" She laughed, nodding quickly. "Of course! What are friends for? Mira, will you get Natsu a drink? It's on me." The bartender winked, giggling as she fixed the drink. Asher turned back to her drink, taking a long drink and sighing quietly. She pretended she didn't see Natsu staring intently at her, his eyes glued to her face. His feelings for her were obvious, probably more than hers, but with her past, she knew she'd only be putting him in danger by expressing any kind of strong emotion. Gajeel strolled up to the counter, slapping some money down and glancing at her through the corner of his eye. "Mind if I get your next one?" She shook her head, smiling up at him. "You and Lily get any jobs?" He nodded silently, leaning on his gloved his and trying to keep himself from blushing. He knew Natsu liked the girl, but if he wasn't gonna make a move one her, he was gonna lose her. It was almost amazing to him how Natsu managed to not tell her how he felt; the pyro was so rash and impulsive, Gaj thought he'd spill it the second it crossed his flame-broiled mind. But three years later, Asher and Natsu were still here exchanging polite small talk at the guild bar. Finally, the iron Dragonslayer looked over and saw Natsu's face. His expression was a rare one, but one he saved for people he felt were threatening his family. He smirked; what did this little fire-breathing punk think he was gonna do? Gajeel decided he hadn't had enough fun recently and motioned to Lily. "Hey, pyro?" Natsu snarled quietly, sitting up and leaning back. "What, Gajeel?" The taller man punched the bar top, making Asher jump. "How about you and me have a good old fashioned slug-fest?" Asher sighed quietly, already hearing Natsu's voice in her head. "Let's do it!" Gajeel grabbed his collar, pulling him in for a private conversation. "Winner gets Asher." The fire Dragonslayer's eyes widened; Gajeel felt the same way about her?! "You're on!" He brought his leg up, connecting his knee with Gajeel's stomach and Asher sighed as he fell into the bar. The black haired mage rose quickly, throwing out his arm for an iron punch. Like lightning, Natsu caught it, flipping his arm and sending him sprawling. When he looked up from the floor, he noticed a grim determination in his eyes. One that made him feel a quick, small spark of fear. As Natsu drew back for a punch, Gajeel tensed, preparing his iron dragon scales. As the punch flew downward, flames sparking around it, the room went dark. Oddly, both Dragonslayers felt themselves pulled away from each other and put in their seats. A minute later, the lights came on and the room was put back together, with no signs of the fight. Asher sipped her drink quietly and Natsu looked at her in shock. "Did you just.. use your magic?" She nodded serenely. "Well, when do I get to see it?! No one in the guild knows what kind of magic you have because you won't ever show us!" Setting her cup down, she looked at him seriously. "You know what? You're right. Go pick a job, and you can come with me. Happy, too." Natsu felt a warmth burning in his chest. "Really?! I'll go pick one right now!"


	2. Old Friends

Natsu stared at the dusty road, occasionally glancing at the girl at his side. They had been walking for a while and made some small talk, but they were still stuck in awkward silences. He felt trapped; if he said something, she might not like him back, but if he didn't say anything, someone like Gajeel would come along and get her first. Suddenly, he felt a soft nudge and when he glanced over, she smiled at him. "What's up?" He shrugged. "What do you mean?" A quiet laugh escaped her as she glanced back down. "I don't know, I can always tell when you're upset. I remember when we first met..." Natsu nodded as the memory resurfaced..

The young dragonslayer ran into the guild, laughing as Gildarts trailed behind him. He noticed Gramps at the bar talking to someone in a cloak and approached. "Heya, Gramps! Who's that?" The wizard raised an eyebrow at Natsu, crossing his arms. "If you wanna know so badly, you have to take care of her and help her out around here!" He tilted his head. "Her?" The cloaked person reached up, pushing the hood back to reveal a pale young girl with bright, fiery red hair, and clear blue eyes. She smiled softly at him, blush creeping onto her cheeks as he stared. "I-I'm Asher... what's your name?" She held out her hand and he slowly took it. "It's.. Natsu."

"You were bouncing off the walls for weeks after, you were so excited." Her voice brought him out of his reverie and he smiled. "Yeah, well. You didn't judge me or push me away just cause I fought all the time." Asher laughed, punching him lightly in the arm. "Nah, because I like fighting just as much as you do." They laughed together as they walked. After a few minutes, Natsu noticed a shady spot just off the road and pointed to it. "Want to take a break?" She contemplated for a second, then nodded and walked over to set her backpack down. "This is pretty nice, and today is just.. perfect..." She trailed off and the dragonslayer looked at her. "Asher? Are you alright?" When she turned, they were almost chest to chest and Natsu felt his heart skip a beat. "I.. I'll be fine, Natsu..." He glanced down at her and gingerly took her left hand. "You can tell me." Slowly, her right hand came up to his chest and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry.." Before he could ask, he was thrown back against the tree, grunting in pain. When he looked up, he noticed a strange force field around him. It was black, and yet opaque enough he could still see through it. Natsu made out the outline of a group approaching and saw they had weapons in their hands; fear rose in his chest and his breath hitched. "Asher!" She glanced back at him sadly. "You're safe, Natsu."  
Never had words hurt so much.  
He pounded against the barrier, screaming her name as the group approached. "Look who it is; our old comrade." The fire mage froze, confused. "How have you been, Asher?" "Yeah, Asher, joined a new guild yet?" "Hard to do when you're supposed to be dead!" The taunts and jeers rang out as they inched closer and closer. Suddenly, the group parted like a wave and a white haired young man, around their age, approached his friend. Immediately, he saw her tense and her fists clench. The strange man held out his arms. "Ash.. it's been a while.." He hugged her tightly and Natsu spied a single tear slip down her cheek. "How have you been, my little crimson flower?" Fire exploded from Natsu's fists and he punched through the barrier, standing and glaring at the man. "Get away from her." He laughed, tilting his head and throwing his arm around the girl. "What's the matter? Possessive?" Natsu blushed deeply but didn't answer and the man shrugged. "Sorry, pyro. I had her first. Haven't you asked her what happened in all those years you were gone?" Asher looked at the ground, shaking as she hid her tears and the dragonslayer's flames grew. "I said..." He stepped forward, throwing a punch at the man's head. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" Just as the punch was about to connect, he disappeared and Natsu tumbled to the ground. He heard the stranger laugh and he looked up at Asher, expecting to see her crying or making sure he was okay. Instead, he saw anger. Rage. Everything went black and he heard screams echo around him, with sounds of snapping and metal hitting the ground. Just as quickly, the light filtered in and he blinked quickly, adjusting his eyes. He saw his friend, her back to him with her arms at her sides and her chest heaving. "A-Asher..?" She turned slightly. "N-Natsu..." She turned, stumbling towards him and he caught her in his arms just before she hit the ground.


	3. Dark Days

By the time Asher woke up, night had fallen. Natsu had carried her back to the small clearing, setting up camp and watching her closely. As her eyes fluttered open, he scrambled to her side and took her hand. "Asher! You're awake!" She moaned quietly, bringing her hand up to her head. "N-Natsu... What happened..?" It took him a few seconds to collect his thoughts. "That guy.. he was gonna hurt me, I think. You looked angry, then everything went black." She started shaking, closing her eyes again. "Not like this..." He gripped her hand tighter. "Hey.. talk to me. What was that?" Slowly, she sat up, grabbing his arm for support. "Was he with them?"  
"What?"  
"That man who attacked us, was he with the people that..?" Natsu glanced over, then shook his head. "I didn't see him; why?" Cursing, she put her head in her hands and let out a sigh. "I didn't want it to happen like this.. but now you know." He shook his head, confused. "My magic, Natsu." Extending her fist, she opened it. A small dark shadow writhed on her palm and made him sit back. "W-what is that?" She looked at him and her eyes slowly turned deep red. "I'm a shadow demon slayer." "Like.. Gray?" Closing her hand, his friend leaned back. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. My father... He wanted to be remembered for helping create the most powerful mages in the land; so he gave me and my siblings magic." Natsu shook his head. "This is making me dizzy.." Asher grabbed his hand and he felt a tear drip onto it. "I'm the only one who made it. My emotions... I let them get the better of me. I'm the reason my parents are.." When he looked at her again, her eyes were closed and she was trying to breathe evenly. "When you were gone, I joined another guild. It was a starter, very small. I got close with the guild master's son and we would always go on jobs together, we even ended up spending most of our time at home together. And yet..." Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes. "Yet, every time we took a job on the coast, I would hear a strange voice calling me. It sounded like you. I could never accept that you were gone, so when I heard Blue Pegasus had found something, I left in a hurry. Ansem was angry that I didn't give any explanation. The best thing I could tell him was that my family needed me." Natsu grabbed her shoulder, pulling her in for a tight hug. "And you were there for us. There's no shame in that, right?" Her hand slowly raised, pressing onto his back. "I knew they'd come..." She started sobbing and he held her close, feeling his own tears well up. After a few minutes, the dragon slayer pulled away and put his hands on her cheeks. "Asher, look at me." Her eyes met his. "I've never met anyone like you. You're amazing, tough, funny, kind.. a lot of things I wish I could be. If you hadn't come back, I would've gone and busted down every single guild door till I found you. You've been such a good friend to me.. I don't deserve you..." Slowly, he pressed his forehead into hers. "I just.. I..." He jumped when he felt her finger gently press against his lips. "You deserve so much; more than you think. More than me. But..." He noticed her breath hitch and he looked up. "Natsu; I think.. I think I'm in love with you." He laughed slightly. "W-what?" She ran her fingers over his cheek. "You heard me. I think I'm in love with you, Natsu Dragneel." Before he could stop them, he felt tears welling up and spilling over his cheeks. "Asher... I-I love you, too.." A soft smile played on her lips, making him smile back. "It's about time, isn't it?" They both laughed, then hugged. When Natsu pulled away, he set a hand on her shoulder. "Rest some more, then we'll head for town in the morning, okay?" She nodded, leaning forward and giving him a swift kiss on the cheek. He turned a deep red, making her laugh as he swatted her away. "By the way.." She laid down, resting her arm under her head. "Why didn't Happy come along?" Natsu leaned against the tree, smiling ruefully. "I think he knew that I was gonna tell you on this trip. I didn't know when exactly, but I wouldn't have been able to hide it much longer." "The guild fight is a good example." He chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I guess it was. Now get some rest; please?" Asher nodded, pretending to salute him. "Yes, sir." As she settled down, he rested his hand on her head, running his fingers through her silky hair. "I guess that could've gone worse..."


End file.
